In honour of Maths Week, and supported by University College Cork – currently celebrating the bicentenary of the birth of noted mathematician George Boole – we will be running daily maths challenges throughout Maths Week.

Monday’s Maths Week Challenge

When George Boole became the first professor of mathematics in University College Cork in 1849, the college was a much smaller place than it is today. What is now the centre of the university, a U-shaped building called the Main Quadrangle – or the Quad for short – was the whole university then.

If you walk towards the inside of the U-shape, the building that faces you is called the North wing. On your left is the West wing and on your right, the East wing.

The challenge:

Nine students are assigned a study room in this historic building.

There are two floors and a basement in each wing, and one room on each floor of each wing has been allocated for each of the nine students.

Mark, one of the lucky students to get a study space, was told to allocate the study rooms. He made detailed notes as to where each student should go, but spilled a cup of coffee over his notebook.

The following notes are all that he is left with. Help him to check to see that the rooms are all allocated properly.

Joe does not study on the bottom floor

Harry studies in a room directly above John and directly next to Owen (whose room is in the West wing)